Introduction to Physical Geology
The study of Earth materials and processes that shape & modify the planet.
What is physical geology?
This explains how the universe expands from a central point.
What is the big bang theory?
This process helps us understand what Earth's internal structure is.
What is seismicity (earthquake data)?
An explanation that describes hot material rising and relatively cooler material sinking in the asthenosphere.
What is mantle convection?
This type stress creates transform boundaries.
What is shear stress?
The first step in the scientific method.
What are observations?
____________ are smaller rocky bodies, while ____________ are large gaseous bodies with small rocky cores.
What are inner (terrestrial) planets and outer (Jovian) planets?
This is the breakdown of Earth's layers by chemical composition.
What is core, mantle, and crust?
A process that happens due to gravity and the creation of new crust at mid-ocean ridges.
What is ridge-push?
A continental volcanic arc, a mountain belt, and an oceanic trench.
What are the geologic features of an oceanic-continental plate boundary?
______ processes are driven by the Sun, while ______ processes are driven by Earth's heat.
What are external and internal processes?
This explains the origin of our solar system.
What is the Solar Nebula Theory (Hypothesis)?
This layer of Earth is comprised of solid Fe-/Mg-rich rock that flows very slowly.
What is the lower mantle (mesosphere)?
Explains how new crust is created at mid-ocean ridges and old crust is recycled at oceanic trenches.
What is seafloor spreading?
The result of 2 continents colliding.
What is a mountain belt/suture zone?
An example of a scientific law.
What is gravity?
The process that creates heavier elements from nuclear fusion reactions within stars.
What is stellar nucleosynthesis?
Earth's magnetic field is generated by the friction between ____________ and ____________.
What is Earth's liquid outer core and solid inner core?
This is used to support the idea of seafloor spreading.
What is paleomagnetism?
These are used to help track rates and direction of plate motion.
What are hot spots?
This is the formal name of a hypothesis that has been elevated over other hypotheses, as it can't be proven false.
What is a theory?
The process by which Earth formed layers based on density.
What is differentiation?
They make up the Earth system.
What are the atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere, and biosphere?
True or False: When continental lithosphere is subducted, the piece of lithosphere that has sunk into the mantle acts as a weight that pulls on the rest of the sinking slab, resulting in the mechanism of plate movement known as slab pull.
False
The result of partial melting of a downgoing slab recycled back into the mantle.
What are volcanic arcs?